Paper-clip.



' UNITED STATES iatented N 'ovember l7,

PAT NT O FICE.

PAPER-GU15.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 744,529, dated l\lovinber 17, 19053.

Application filed May 19', 1903.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARRY E. GIFFORD, a citizen of the United States, residing at New Bedford, in the county of Bristol and State of Massachusetts,haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Paper-Clips; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others Skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

. This invention relates to certain new and useful-improvements in paper clips or fasteners; and it has for its object the provision of a simple, cheaply-constructed, and serviceable paper-clip constructed of a single piece of wire so formed as to permit the device to readily engage the edges of two or more papers and hold the same securely in place without injury to the device itself and without soiling or bending the papers at thepoint at which the clip is attached.

To these ends and to such others as the invention may pertain the same consists in the novel form of the device, as more fully here inafter described, shown in the accompanying drawings, and then specifically defined in the appended claim. s

The invention is clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawings, which, with the letters of reference marked thereon, form a part of this specification, and in which- Figure l is a top plan view of the device, the position occupied by the paper when engaged by the clip being indicated in dotted lines. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the clip. Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing the method of applying the clip, and Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the clip attached to papers. Fig. 5 is atop plan view of the clip, showing the method of applying it to the paper; and Fig. 6 is'a top plan view showing its application without compressing the cross-wires.

Reference now being had to the details of the drawings by letter, A designates the clip, which is composed of a single piece of wire, the body portion of which is of a circular form. The free ends B of the wire are bent at substantially right angles at one side of Serial No. 157,861. (No model the circular body portion and extend transversely across said body portion upon hori zontal lines and adjacent to each other, the

ends of the wires terminating at a point a short distance beyond the body portion, as I clearly shown in Fig. l of the drawings.

The diameter of the circular body portion of the clip isin clips for ordinary use Slightlyreadily insert the edges of the papers 0 to be retained by the clip between the parallel portions B of the 'wire of which. the clip is composed and the circular body portion. It will at once be noted that the size and circular form of the clip will serve to provide a uniform pressure extending over a considerable surface of paper and that the paper engaged by the clip will besecurely held in place without defacement or injury, and it will also be noted that the paper may be readily removed when desired from the clip without danger of tearing. It has been found that with many of the paper-clips that are in common use the paper is bent out of shape by the clip, and it is liable to be torn in hastily removing the paper. With the clip which I have described the wires, it will be noted, are absolutely straight and with no offsets or angles which would be likely to indent or injure the paper.

The essential features of my form of clip reside, first, in the circular body portion of the .clip throughlwhich the thumb passes in press ing upon the free parallel ends of the wire, this circular form also affording a bearing for the fingers pressing in the opposite direction, thereby permitting the clip to be opened readily, and, second, in the distance between the spring-shoulder a and the point ot'contact b, where the free end portions B of the Wires press against eachother. By this construction the spring action of the cross-wires is not weakened in use, and the clip can in consequence be used-for an indefinite time without injury.

It will be seen that it is not necessary to bend the papers in passing them between the wires of theclip, while the size of the body portion is such as to prevent wrinkling or disfigurement of the papers, as above stated, and it will not be necessary that the edges of the papers be arranged uniformly in order that the same should be firmly gripped by the arms of the clip.

When but few sheets of paper are to be engaged, the clip may be readily engaged, as shown in Fig. 6, without the necessity of compressing the cross-wires.

Having thus fully described my invention, What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

A paper-clip made of a piece of flexible wire having a circular shank portion, with two 

